Felipe VI has taken 12 years on the throne to make it to Ceuta, and he is doing so in the same month, intriguingly, as his great-grandfather. The King and Queen Letizia will enter Ceuta's City Hall, in Plaza de África, launching a two-day trip that continues tomorrow in Melilla. It is the first time they have officially set foot in both cities as monarchs.
The last royal visit was by Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, in November 2007, after an 80-year gap. This time the backdrop is very different: around 72,000 people crossed over illegally from Morocco to Ceuta on 30 and 31 July, into a city of just over 80,000 residents.
